Dragonling
by Kori no Koibito
Summary: A wise man once said that all good things came with a price. and this was a price he never wanted to pay. It all started on the day of Eclipse, the day when every living soul on this earth knew that his best friend was dead.
1. Prologue

**I don't know don't ask me. Yes, I have two stories pending. But I still have college entrance exams and writers' block. This is just a spur-of-the-moment-thingy, one of my ideas I intended to work on. Due to limited time, it's the only thing I've written. Please excuse is shortness. And also my lazy ass. ;) Kill me after May. I'll let you. (Pfft XD)**

**Also, I wrote this on my phone. So I might have skipped some words. Please tell me if I skipped something.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer :**** I don't own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**Dragonling**

_**A Fairy Tail Fanfiction**_

**By AsDarknessSpreads**

**Prologue**

It's funny how life can change in one moment; in one day.

He was a normal guy. At least normal enough according to his own standards. I mean, not many people flaunt their pink manly locks while eating Tabasco sauce with cereal for breakfast on a daily basis. But, well, preferences!

Natsu Dragneel was Hargeon High School's well known trouble maker. He was the school's basketball team captain. And his academic skills were unparalleled. Let's just say that his father, Igneel, once threw a party when Natsu scored a C+ in mathematics. Unparalleled.

But none of that mattered to him. The reason he attended the cursed school was because of his friends. Lucy's whining, Gray's verbal jabs, Lyon's superior ass, Erza's deadly love... they were what made his life worth living. But of course his manly pride won't let him accept that!

After his mother's death, they were all he had left along with his annoying father. They were all his family, his nakama, enough for him to get over her death.

Who knew that his family would break away in one day?

A wise man once said that all good things came with a price. and this was a price he never wanted to pay.

It all started on one fine morning 21st June, the solar eclipse. That day when the moon covered Natsu's sunlight. That day, when every living soul on planet earth knew that _he_ was dead.

Natsu's life changed completely on day Gray Fullbuster was killed in front of his eyes.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Just to clarify, this is NOT a High School AU. And if I say anything further, I'll spoil it. Meh! May or may not be yaoi. Though I didn't plan it as a yaoi fic. Hence, a possible brotherhood fic.**

**Feedback is always appreciated! **

**~ Dark**


	2. The Eclipse

_**So finally, I'm done with everything. I am free! *sniff sniff***_

_**Before I went back to my other stories, I wanted to publish this as a, you know, warm up chapter. Hope you enjoy the ride filled with attempted humor and angst!**_

_**Warning: Angst af. Sudden mood changes. You may assume that the story is PMSing.**_

**Disclaimer: I no own. STFU.**

* * *

**Chapter - 1**

**The Eclipse**

_**21 July X795 **_

_**9:00 AM**_

"So," Natsu started hesitantly, placing down the flowers, "Mr. Fullbuster… Haha, it feels weird to call you that."

A month had passed since that fateful day. It was Gray's birthday today. Funny, how their birthdays fell on the same dates of two adjoining months.

"Sorry, I hadn't been visiting you for a few days. I was busy with the preparations of the party." A slight breeze blew through the trees in the graveyard. Natsu sat down in front of the familiar gravestone he had been visiting since the past month. "Lucy even asked me to bring a cake. Me, of all people! I mean… Erza specializes in that field. She loves cakes! Or even Lyon would have been a better choice because he's the brother." He sighed. "I brought a Black Forest one, anyway. So deal with it."

"Natsu," he heard someone call him from behind.

"Lyon. So you come here too, huh?"

"Of course I do." Lyon replied haughtily. "Even if it was a surrogate relationship, we were still related. And there's no way that I won't visit him on this special occasion."

"Anyway, Erza was wondering where the cake was. She expected it to be at the hall half an hour ago."

"Oh crap." Natsu completely forgot! He turned white as Lyon smirked at the satisfying reaction. Natsu turned to the grave, "I'd leave then. I promise I'll be back soon." And with that, Natsu got up and ran off. Lyon smiled sadly and turned at the grave.

"He has changed so much, ne? Reforming him like that in just a day… Even though I witnessed it all, I still can't believe in what all happened that day." Lyon looked up at the sky.

"Only you can do such wonders, Gray."

* * *

_**20 June X795**_

_**11:30 AM**_

When Natsu agreed to play Truth and Dare with Gray, he thought that it would be a peaceful, non – violent game. He expected minor fighting, maiming and disembowelling for dares. He did _not _expect that he would be standing in the middle a parking lot, wearing a pink tutu.

"Natsu _chan_,"Gray smirked at the pinkette, stressing on the 'chan' purposefully. That guy even had the nerve to record the annihilation of the pinkette's dignity, on his phone!

"You are forgetting your lines, Natsu _chan_," Gray urged, totally enjoying the moment of his lifetime. Natsu muttered under his breath, giving off an impression of doing some sort of witchcraft. Oh, Gray was _so _going to pay for this.

Natsu finally mustered up courage, waved goodbye to his remaining specs of dignity and shouted, "I LOVE HARRY STYLES!"

Oh gods, that was distressing!

Natsu blushed furiously, tapping out of the parking lot in the most ungraceful manner, as fast as he could. He went right into the bushes where Gray was hiding - no, scratch that – where Gray was laughing his ass off. Natsu glared hard at him, looking as terrifying as a pink-haired guy in a tutu could.

After what seemed like an eternity, Gray stopped laughing. "You should be lucky that there was no one around," Gray said, saving the wretched video on his phone.

"_No one? _I saw at _least_ three people laughing at a distance. And that one over there is probably internally dead from the shock!" Natsu continued whining, pointing at random people. Then he turned sharply at Gray and glared again with a creepy smirk. "You'll pay for this, Gray Fullbuster."

"Yeah sure, whatever," Gray got up and dusted his clothes, "We'll see to that later. Now let's head back before Erza realizes what a disgrace you are to the school." Gray smirked as Natsu grumbled. He turned around and made a beeline to the costume room with the ninja skills he didn't know he possessed.

* * *

"Oh!" Igneel grinned, opening the door, "all of you brats are finally here, eh?" Natsu, along with Gray, Lucy and Erza, stepped into the house. "Good evening, Igneel-san. Sorry for disturbing you again," Erza said politely. Suddenly, Igneel enveloped them into a hug. "It's been so long!" He declared excitedly.

"Umm… We were here yesterday," Gray muttered.

"I can't breathe!" Lucy squealed.

"Haha! You kids, C'mon in. Lemme order some pizza." Igneel released them from the death grip and went into the kitchen. Natsu sighed at his father's antics and led his friends to the living room.

"So, Natsu," Lucy started mischievously, "I heard about this guy in the parking lo-"

"Don't even dare," Natsu glared at a certain raven-haired boy who was secretly smirking behind his phone he was scrolling through. Lucy and Erza snickered.

"Natsu nii? Are you home?" A blue-haired little girl asked, coming downstairs. "Hello, Wendy," Erza greeted her with a smile. "Come and join us."

Suddenly Lucy sat up straight, "Oh yeah! What do you plan to tomorrow, Natsu?"

Natsu looked at her, "Huh? What's tomorrow?"

Lucy looked at him funny. But soon, she realized that he wasn't joking and resisted her urge to face palm. "Did you seriously forget your own frigging birthday?"

"My birth- OH! Oh yeah that's right. Umm..." Natsu laughed nervously, "... nothing?"

Wrong answer.

"WHAT?! Are you kidding me! I know you hate parties but I won't allow this. Wendy, bring me a pen and paper." Wendy scrambled off the couch as fast as she could. Even she knew Lucy's bad side was terrifying.

And so, the hours-long planning of Natsu's _18th Birthday Bash_ began.

* * *

_**21 June X795**_

_**10:00 AM**_

_Natsu's Birthday Bash _turned out to be a_ Shopping Spree at the Mall._

If Natsu would have known that his birthday would have consisted of him carrying shopping bags for Lucy early in the morning, he happily would have booked the nearest Raddison Blu instead. And to make his life even more insufferable...

"You droopy eyed bastard!" Lyon screamed, "Look what you've done to my lovely hair!"

"Squinty eyed idiot, you're the one who randomly bumped into me!" Gray retorted.

"Oh please, I'm too awesome to bump into someone like you."

Best. Birthday. Ever.

Erza couldn't make it (thankfully) as she had kendo classes to attend with her _boyfriend_. But that didn't change the fact that Natsu was left with two bickering brothers and a shopaholic blonde.

Then suddenly, Natsu remembered. He had a game to play! "Hey, Gray!"

"What do you want, dumbass?"

"Truth or Dare?"

Gray looked at him. "Truth."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Natsu grumbled. And being the stubborn idiot he was, he said, "Choose dare!"

"What if I don't?"

"Then you're a pussy."

"Why you... Fine!" Gray made a face. "I choose dare."

Natsu internally did a flip. The moment of sweet revenge was finally here! But in his moment of joy, he never noticed how easily Gray had agreed to him.

"I dare you... to ask Lucy out in front of everyone in the mall." Gray groaned. "Natsu you idiot-"

Suddenly, the building rumbled. Alarms blared inside the building and people started running for the exit. "Shit," Natsu said, "I think it's an earthquake! Gray, we have to… Gray?" Gray stood frozen in his place, his eyes wide with shock. "Gray! What happened? Snap out of it," Suddenly, Gray blinked, as if coming out of a trance.

"What? Yeah. Earthquake. We gotta run!"

"Gray," Gray turned to look at Natsu. "What happened to you right now?"

"Nothing, just… panicked a bit." Gray gave a brief look to Lyon. "We gotta find Luc-"

"Natsu! Gray! Lyon! Thank gods you're all right- Hey, stop dragging me! I can run," Lucy huffed, annoyed by the boys. They went down the emergency exit stairs and were right at the exit door when Gray suddenly stopped them. "Hey Lucy…" "Later, Gray." "No! It's important. Will you go out with me?"

Lucy gave him the most judging look ever. "…Gray Fullbuster, are you out of your-"

"I mean… will you out _of the mall_ with me?" he winked at Lucy and dragged her ahead, while Lucy shouted a bunch of censored words at him which certainly destroyed her aristocratic reputation. Then Gray turned around and smirked at Natsu, who in turn was mimicking Lucy's antics mentally.

When they were finally in the park, Natsu exploded, "Gray, you asshole! You did it again!"

"Gray looked at him innocently, "What did I do?"

Natsu growled, "You changed the meaning of my dare again!"

"Well, it's not my fault that your dares have multiple loopholes."

"Why you-"

"WATCH OUT!" The group turned sharply towards the source of sound, only to see the five-storey mall building explode. They turned around to escape the explosion, only to get haphazardly separated. Natsu ran as fast as he could, but the huge explosion reached him. He was thrown off his feet with the amount of force and then everything went black.

* * *

When Natsu came to, he was shocked. Everything around him was in utter chaos. He was lying in rubble. All the buildings around him were destroyed. Everything looked as they would have looked 20 years after the zombie apocalypse. Was it even the same day?

Natsu stood up slowly and carefully. Judging from the location, he was at the exact point where he passed out. The mall was at a distance, still alight with scattered fires. And by the looks of it, it was surrounded by the rescue team. But then suddenly a sense of dread settled down on Natsu. He got separated from his friends!

The pinkette ran around the perimeter, looking for any signs of his friends. He called their names several times but no one was in sight. But then, he heard a distant rumbling. Scanning around, he saw a pile of rubble moving at a distance. He went closer, only to find raven hair peeping out.

"Gray!" Natsu removed the rubble as fast as he could. He removed the raven from underneath the rubble and laid him on his lap. Gray's forehead was bleeding. "Gray! Wake up." The raven groaned and opened his eyes. "What… happened?" He said as he sat up, pressing a hand onto his forehead. "Natsu? Wh-where are the others?"

"I can't find anyone else. You're the first one I could find."

"Then we should continue the search." Gray stood up and groaned. "Gray. You're bleeding,"

Gray gave a hollow laugh, "So are you." When Natsu didn't reply, he said, "Something has happened which shouldn't have happened. Let's go." He ran forward and Natsu followed.

* * *

"There!" Natsu exclaimed, "I can see Lucy over there!" After running around the most affected areas of the explosion, the two of them couldn't find any person at all, not even Lucy or Lyon. So, they deduced that their friends might have escaped the explosion (Natsu wondered how) and wandered off.

It turned out they were right.

Gray looked at the building near which Lucy was unconscious. "I can't believe the building is still intact, with the glass windows and all."

"The _Apocalypse_ mustn't have reached here. Let's go get her!" Natsu ran forward.

"Yeah, umm, Natsu?" Gray started hesitantly, grabbing Natsu's attention.

"What's it?"

"Let's split up." Natsu stared at him. "I mean… I'll go search for Lyon and you see to Lucy, okay?"

"Hey, we can go check on him with Lucy. Don't worry! Lyon must be all-"

"Just do as I say." Gray snapped.

Natsu stared at him strangely, "Are you kidding me?"

"Oh c'mon, Natsu, you know it would be quicker! And then we would get out of here and…" Gray sighed and looked away. Natsu narrowed his eyes, "Gray, from the moment the earthquake occurred; you've been acting all suspicious and fidgety. What's going on?"

For a moment, Gray didn't reply. Then suddenly, he asked, "Truth or Dare?"

"Huh? Gray, don't change the topic."

"Just answer me. Truth or Dare?"

Natsu looked at him quizzically, trying to find out what the raven was trying to achieve with this untimely request. "Dare." As Natsu saw, Gray visibly relaxed.

"Then I dare you to go check on Lucy without looking back."

"What? GRAY-"

"I am not repeating myself, Natsu."

"But what kind of a stupid dare is that! This is not a game, Gray!" Suddenly, Gray tensed up the way he did only while playing basketball, when he would sense someone coming towards him with him having the ball.

"What… what happened?"

"_On the day of the eclipse, every living soul should know…"_

Gray and Natsu stood there frozen. "What was that? Gray, did you hear that?"

Gray looked at him with wide eyes. "You… you heard that?"

"Of course, I did! What's so special about it?"

"… I was right, then."

"What? Right about WHAT?" Natsu was sure now. He had never been this puzzled in his life, not even in maths class!

And Gray did nothing to clear it. "Just go."

Natsu turned towards him sharply, "Gray I swear to gods I'll-"

"Please!" Natsu's eyes widened. Gray had never sounded so… so tired in his life. Moreover, he had never pleaded Natsu.

"I… I promise I'll explain everything to you later. Just, please go now." Gray's eyes were hidden behind his bangs. "And promise me that whatever happens, you won't look back."

Natsu couldn't comprehend what happened after that. He heard himself say, "I promise." And the rest of it was a blur.

He remembered running towards a fallen Lucy a mile away, feeling an ominous presence behind him. He remembered kneeling beside her. He remembered waking her up and seeing her stare wide-eyed at whatever had been happening behind him. He remembered her crying her eyes out. He remembered Lyon's pained wails from afar following the dreadful, horrific scene unfolding behind him.

He didn't have the guts to turn around. It all happened in mere seconds. He didn't want to see, but his eyes defied him. He didn't want to comprehend, but his brain refused to forget.

What he absolutely refused to remember was the scene in front of him, as he wanted to forget it forever. He remembered _Gray's _screams. He remembered _his_ blood everywhere. He remembered _him _being taken away by his cold-blooded murderer. He remembered that evil laughter. He remembered them disappearing into thin air. He remembered seeing _everything _through the reflecting glass panes of the intact building.

And most of all, he remembered himself kneeling there, frozen, unaware of the tears escaping his eyes. He sat there as the ruthless scenes were displayed by the mirrors. He sat there unable to do anything to stop his best friend from getting murdered. All because Natsu had made a promise he shouldn't have made.

"_On the day of the eclipse, every living soul should know that Gray Fullbuster is dead."_

**End of Chapter 1**

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_**So... yeah. Skipped the description cuz it it would be included inb the later parts of the story. And I absolutely despise reading copy-pasted shit so I ain't gonna do that either.**_

_**Someone told me once that my writing is weirdly poetic, which may or may not be a good thing. Is that true?**_

_**Feedback would be appreciated!**_

_**Dark**_


	3. The Thirst for Revenge

**It's been a year. Oops. Didn't realize, sowwy.**

***HIDES AF***

**Hey guys! Here's the long-awaited chapter of Dragonling! And don't worry. I won't leave it unattended again. I wanted to update NeuroLink first, considering the shitty cliffhanger, but I realized I left this one for toooooo fkn long! Forgive me :(**

**Warning: Un-betaed: Casual scanning (pls point out errors, if any), Angst, Blood**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FT.**

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**Chapter 2**

**The Thirst for Revenge**

"NO! BRING HIM BACK, YOU MONSTER!" Natsu sat frozen, his eyes fixated at the glass building, as it reflected Lyon. Lyon had run from the road at the side to the cross-point where the man once stood, the man who had just killed his best friend. Lucy sat beside him, clutching her hair, wailing. He couldn't see her. He couldn't see Lyon either, because his eyes were fixed at the spot where Gray's body once laid.

"GRAAAAY!" Lyon cried out, collapsing onto his knees. He heard Lucy standing up shakily and going towards the huge mountain of rubble at a distance: the rubble where Gray was killed. His body was taken away by the man, the inhumane monster who had killed Gray.

Somehow how eyes fixed onto another form in the reflecting window. Blank eyes, tear-stained cheeks, and unmoving features: it was a dreadful image. Later he realized that the person was him. He blinked, looking at himself, but not looking at all.

He sat there frozen in the world of destruction, without his best friend, with an endless pain in his heart.

He couldn't think anything. He had a feeling if he began to, he wouldn't be able to cope with it, cope with himself.

"…tsu! Natsu, p-please!" He vaguely heard a voice. He realized he was so lost in his own reflection that he hadn't sensed Lucy and Lyon approaching. "C'mon, we need to move! T-This place is dangerous, p-please Natsu, _move!"_

Natsu took in a shaky breath. He looked up at the blond beauty. Tears flowed down freely from her eyes. He looked at Lyon. He held his arms, sobbing.

He heard another huge crash a mile away. He heard screams. Somehow those screams blended into another single scream. The scream rang through his mind relentlessly. He shivered and tried to shut it off.

At last, he closed his eyes and stood up shakily.

* * *

_A heavily cloaked man walked through the dark alleyways in the outskirts of Magnolia. He was alert, his senses heightened to catch even the smallest of disturbances around him. Even a random cat couldn't catch him red-handed. After all, Gray didn't want to be caught dead even anywhere __**around **__the organization._

_At least, his image should remain intact, despite his ventures into the largest underworld organization in the world._

_Gray gulped. Something told him this was the beginning of something big, something dark. It gave him an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. _

'_I should have told Lyon…' he thought, 'No, that would have put him in danger as well.' He trudged ahead with steps light as feathers._

_The moon and the stars were camouflaged by the clouds. The alleys were deserted. That seemed plausible, considering no one wanted to be around the dark part of the town. The area seemed to ward off human civilization naturally._

_After thoroughly checking around for the fifth time, Gray shuffled silently towards the huge metal gate. His paranoia was getting better of him. He fished out a hairpin and struggled around with the locks. The raven-haired man smirked, remembering it was one of the accessories he had bought for Natsu's little dare._

_He quietly slipped inside. Looking up, he saw the sign proudly displayed on the top of the ten-storey building:_

Tartaros Headquarters

_A shiver went down his spine. No matter how many times he had been here, this building never seemed to become any less eerie._

"_Oh, look! It's you," Gray looked down towards the entrance of the building. A blond-haired boy leaned onto the pillar, smirking towards him. "I thought I had sensed some high-level dirt," Jackal drawled, "Can't believe my guess was right."_

_Gray's face remained expressionless. Jackal took it as some sort of invitation to blabber on, "I wonder how those shining eyes of yours look like when your body is covered with holes." He snickered in his own morbid fantasy, "Oh, I would _pay _to see the life fade out of them." _

_Gray gazed at him unblinkingly, "Pay me with your life and I might as well reward you with an illusion of the shit you're into." He quietly walked past Jackal, ignoring his very presence. Jackal turned towards him, sneering, "Do what you want, you filthy half-breed. I will see how much of that attitude you would have left till tomo-"_

"_You're here." Someone intercepted Jackal. Gray looked up to see a dark-haired man with a huge scar on his face, wearing is usual armor with "Absolute Zero" carved on it. Gray watched as the dark-haired man glared at Jackal. The said blond scoffed and walked out. _

"_Come with me," Silver said, looking at him. "The boss awaits you." Gray nodded._

"_What did he mean 'how much you'll have left till tomorrow'?" Gray asked, making Silver look at him sharply, "Is there something special tomorrow?" _

_Silver pursed his lips and sighed. "You're too smart for your own good sometimes." Gray's lips tugged at the corner._

_Silver's gaze hardened, "You'll know soon." He pushed the double doors open._

_Gray had only seen this room once in his life. Huge screens covered the walls of the big wide hall, leading to the main supercomputer controlling them. A dark-haired man sat at the end of the hall, operating the computer. His long ponytail swayed around when he twirled around in his chair. Blue eyes met charcoal black, as the latter smirked at Gray._

"_Come in, Gray-kun." Mard Geer said in his sickly sweet voice. "Silver-san, please stay outside. I don't want your accidental relationship become a hindrance in my negotiations." Gray turned towards his father. Silver nodded at him and stepped back. The door closed behind Gray, leaving the raven-haired male in a brightly lit room with his mortal enemy._

"_Why did you summon me here?" Gray started. Mard Geer made a sound of annoyance and said, "Oh, Gray-kun, no need to be in such a hurry." Mard Geer picked up his cup from the nearby table, looking at the boy approaching him. He gestured Gray towards the chair beside him. Gray sat down and looked at Mard Geer skeptically._

"_Coffee?" Mard Geer offered, sipping his own._

_Gray inhaled, "If you don't have an actual agenda for this _meeting_ of ours I would like to take the leave. You see, I need to pick a gift for a friend of mine's birthday."_

"_Oh, birthdays," Mard Geer casually continued, "Aren't those so much more significant than the end of the world?" Gray's gaze hardened, "What do you mean?"_

"_Ah, now I have the Dragonling's attention." Mard Geer kept away his cup and crossed his fingers. Gray's eyes narrowed. The long-haired male snickered, leaning to the side, resting his face on his palm. "What the date tomorrow?"_

"_21__st__ of June."_

"_And what does the date signify?"_

_Gray's palms fisted on the top of his trousers. "The eclipse," Mard Geer said, "Or the solar eclipse to be precise." He leaned forward to look at Gray, whose bangs covered his eyes, "And do you know what happens on the Solar Eclipse to you people?"_

_Gray gritted his teeth. "Why are you doing this?"_

_The Head of Tartaros sneered. "You caused us a lot of damage, Gray-kun." He said, "You killed my people; you infiltrated our headquarters and you-"_

"_It was a legitimate war that YOU were responsible for-"_

"_You destroyed us," Mard Geer raised his voice, "My army; my whole underworld network."_

"_You were smuggling illegal-"_

"_That's enough!" Gray felt his breath being knocked out of him. His vision got blurred and he felt himself falling backwards off the chair. Mard Geer stood above him, a sinister look in his eyes. "Looks like your physical prowess is already decreasing." Gray tried to stand up, panting, but was suddenly hauled up by his collar._

"_Surrender to us, Gray. Or we will declare war: The war of Magic."_

"_You can't," Gray gulped, "Our previous agreement forbids you from harming the people of the world. It's a pact between the Light and the Darkness and violating the sacred pact would bring you nothing but destruction."_

_Mard Geer smirked, as if waiting for Gray to say that, "True, we had a pact. The Darkness was forbidden from causing any harm to the mortals and the Light was forbidden from intervening into our activities. And that pact was only rendered possible because your loving _father-_"_

"_He is NOT my father!"_

_Mard Geer laughed out loud. "Of course, dear Gray. He stayed with you all this time without you realizing he was our agent in disguise. Oh, it was marvelous, the way he single-handedly brought down your entire-"_

_Gray kicked Mard Geer swiftly on his knee. Mard Geer hissed and let go of the boy. "Shut up!" Gray screamed. Mard Geer straightened up with a scowl on his face._

"_I want you all obliterated." He declared, "You have caused enough damage to my clan. I can't have you run amok in any manner."_

_Gray glared at his enemy, "You will not harm my friends, or any of the humans living in this world. If you do, I will stop at nothing to kill you all!"_

_Mard Geer laughed, making Gray frown, "You? Stop us?" His smile morphed into a scowl, "Tomorrow is the eclipse, Gray. And you are the Dragonling. Tomorrow, you will be nothing but a weak, powerless human, presenting himself to us for manslaughter." His eyes glowed with menace, "First, I will kill you, the Pact Maker. Then I will move on to your pansy comrades. And then when the Light is gone, the Darkness will prevail in this innocent, innocent world. Wouldn't that be beautiful, Gray?"_

_Gray scowled, glaring at Mard Geer, "Why are you telling me this?"_

_Mard Geer narrowed his eyes with a smirk of anticipation, "What did you say?"_

_Gray gulped, "Why let me know about your plans? I have enough power right now to escape and warn my comrades. What good would that do to you?"_

_Mard Geer smirked. An unsettling feeling settled into Gray's gut. "Now you are asking the real questions."_

* * *

"Every living soul should know that Gray Fullbuster is dead." Gray heard the low, taunting voice from behind him. He watched Natsu run towards Lucy, away from the danger, away from him. He sensed Lyon stirring on the road on his right. Thank gods he didn't tell Lyon anything yesterday.

His gut felt heavy with dread. His palms remained fisted by his side. A traitorous tear slipped out of his eye.

But he could never let his fear show.

"You promised," he said, surprising himself with his unwavering voice, "You promised you would not hurt my friends. How would I know you would keep your side of the arrangement?"

"Oh, don't you worry, _son_," Silver Fullbuster smirked. Gray turned to look at the devil behind him, "This was just a warning attack so that you don't back away." Silver walked down the pile of rubble of a nearby building.

"I won't," Gray said, looking at his _father _standing in front of him. "I will keep my part of promise, and you better keep yours." Gray closed his eyes, letting the welled-up tears escape. He felt Lyon's confused gaze on him. He felt Lucy's eyes blinking open. He opened his eyes and looked at Silver right in the eye.

"I surrender."

* * *

"It was just a _guess_, Mard Geer-sama," Kyouka reprimanded, pouring a glass of mind, "You shouldn't have taken such a huge step, just on the basis of a guess."

"Our guess was correct though." Mard Geer said, taking the glass from Kyouka, "I felt it, the dissipation of a huge power, and the end of a person with significance. He indeed was the Dragonling we had been searching for," he laughed out loud with mirth, "I can't believe our greatest adversary is gone for good!"

Kyouka smiled at his apparent glee, "You shouldn't have taken such a huge step without me though."

The smile disappeared from Mard Geer's face, "And why not? What makes you so significant that my decisions have to be based on your presence?"

"T-That's not what I-"

"Oh, don't fret, Kyouka," he stood up and approached her, and stood in front of her, looking down. "The truth will remain undeterred. I got rid of the Dragonling! I completed the task I gave to you ages ago."

Kyouka took a deep breath, calming her nerves, "All I meant to say was that our enemy was too smart for his own good. I do not mean to disrespect you. I just want to state the fact that Gray Fullbuster cannot be underestimated." She paused to check her boss's expression, only to find him bemused, "And I would like to know how you did it."

Mard Geer smirked with narrowed eyes, "All in good time, Kyouka.

"But before that, we need to figure out a plan to get rid of his weakling comrades."

"That's not going to happen," a new voice echoed in the huge hall. Both the eyes turned towards the entrance, "You can't harm his friends. That was the pact."

"Ah, if it isn't the Dragonling Slayer!" Silver scowled at his title, as he entered the room. He carried a bundle wrapped in his cape. Gray's head rested on his breastplate and his arm dangled uselessly. Blood covered the lower half of his jaw and his visible fingers. Mard Geer's eye's glinted at the very sight of the body.

Kyouka recovered from the shock of seeing the body, "He is really dead… I can't believe it. But isn't the pact worthless if the only pact maker is dead?"

"That's where you are wrong, Kyouka," Silver spoke, striding into the room. "This pact came into force when the pact maker died. In other words, it becomes a Blood Pact. If you dare to refuse to abide by it, blood will fall upon you and your comrades."

Kyouka's face whitened. Jackal entered the room after Silver, his face slightly pale. Mard Geer smirked and approached Silver. "If that's the case, then be it." He reached out to Gray's face. His palm slid down from his cheek to his neck, and rested on the artery. "He is so cold."

"He was an Ice Dragonling." Silver answered monotonously, "He is meant to be freezing cold."

"Hmm, fair enough," Mard Geer turned around and walked towards his seat, "Leave the body here. We will take care of the rest."

"No."

Mard Geer turned around sharply, glaring full force at Silver. "Why not?"

"He is my son, not a plaything." Silver bit his lip, "I want him buried."

Mard Geer laughed with mirth, "That's precious, coming from the guy who killed his son ruthlessly."

Silver's eyes widened, "How did you know?"

Mard Geer looked behind Silver, candidly gesturing at Jackal. "I had him record you as you killed him. To be honest, it was a sight to see."

Silver's eyes flashed, "You had me monitored? You didn't trust the fact that I could kill my son?" He let out a hollow laugh, "If you actually saw the recording of the event, then you must have also seen how I make the enemies pay, even if the enemy is my son." He lowered his voice, "And I would like you to know that if you even dare to do that again, _you_ would become the other end of my rage."

"That's enough, Silver," Kyouka intercepted. "That's your master you are talking to."

"And I am the Dragonling Slayer _you_ are talking to." His eyes met Kyouka's, who immediately averted hers. He turned towards Jackal, who scowled at him. "I want the funeral's preparations to be over by tomorrow." With that, he turned around and walked towards the exit, followed by Jackal.

"You make me sick," Jackal murmured. Silver scoffed, "Looks like someone did not take the murder well. And yesterday, you were blabbering on about how you'd _pay_ to see what you saw today."

Jackal scowled and disappeared into the shadows. Silver stood there looking at the spot where he disappeared. He then turned to look at the raven-haired male he was carrying. He sighed and continued walking.

* * *

They had run into the forest, Natsu recalled. Lucy sat in front of him, trying to make him talk. Lyon was curled up in a corner, crying. They were in a shed, a hideout of some sort he presumed.

"Why," Natsu gulped. His throat felt scratchy from not being used. Lucy looked at him expectantly, "Why was he killed?"

Lucy let out a strangled sob, "I… I-I don't-"

"Because he was the Dragonling," Lyon spat out, "He was the Dragonling and they wanted him out of their way. And they knew we were powerless against them because of the sacred pact." He stood up in anger and walked towards the door, "I will kill them."

"No, Lyon!" Lucy ran towards the white-haired male, clutching his arm, "We can't act recklessly right now!"

"They killed my brother!" he screamed.

"And they will kill us too, if you don't think and act!" Lucy panted, looking at Lyon.

"I c-can't sit here doing nothing, Lucy."

"Then we will have our revenge." Lucy said with authority, "They broke the sacred pact by harming the citizens of Magnolia today. That means we are allowed to attack them. But we don't even know who they were, Lyon! And for our assault to be any damaging, we need a plan, Lyon," Lucy stressed the last four words.

"He knew," Natsu muttered.

Lucy turned towards him with wide eyes, "What? Who knew what, Natsu?"

"G-Gray," Natsu bit his lip, "He knew he was gonna get killed."

Before he knew, Lyon was towering above him. "How do you know?"

"He asked me to pick truth or dare," As Natsu recalled the scene, it made him realize how foolish he was. "He dared me to walk away from the scene." He continued, unable to stop, "He told me to go to Lucy. He asked me not to look back and I di-"

Lyon suddenly held him by his throat and Lucy gasped. "You are telling me that you walked away from the scene when Gray needed your help?! How fucking shameless could you be, you piece of-!"

"Lyon, please," Lucy struggled to free Natsu from Lyon's vice grip. "What could he have done? He is not one of us!"

Lyon dropped Natsu to the ground, who gasped for breath. "I-I am sorry," Natsu continued his venting. "I walked away from him. And I…"

"Shh, it's not your fault." Lucy whispered to him, hugging him, "Even if you had wanted to, once you agree to a promise with someone like us, you can't back away from it." She let out a hollow laugh, "He had planned this. I can't believe it."

"Yeah, okay," Lyon spoke exasperatedly, "He couldn't have helped Gray because he was stupid enough to agree to a Pact. But I can't believe you still don't feel it, Lucy!" Lyon exclaimed. "Do you seriously not feel the energy brewing inside him?"

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked. He watched as Lucy looked at him. Suddenly, she gasped.

"You are like us," Lucy whispered in awe, "You… I can't believe this! How is that possible? I have been with you since ages and I never… even right now…"

Natsu felt confused. "What do you mean, 'someone like you'? What energy?"

Lucy took a deep breath, "Just shut everything out for a second. You would hear it."

Natsu paused and tried to do what Lucy suggested. He exhaled and concentrated. Suddenly, his eyes flew open. He had heard a very low buzzing around himself. It was coming from him. "I hear it." Not only did he hear the buzzing, he also felt something within him, thrumming with power. He stood up, looking at his arms. A faint glow surrounded him. "I… I see it."

"Wow… that was quick," Lucy whispered, looking at him. He gazed at her. Her features suddenly became sharper. Her eyes shone brighter. He saw a faint glow surrounding her. "You too, you are glowing," he turned his head, "and so is Lyon." He nearly wanted to laugh out loud, but the situation didn't let him.

"What is happening? How long have I been like this?"

Lucy, as if recovering from her surprise, "You just unlocked your power. I can't believe it. It took me years to even realize the buzzing around me, and it only took you mere seconds."

"You are a Mage of Light, Natsu." Lyon stated, "You have been like this since your birth. You just unlocked your powers right now." He suddenly looked away, "And if I could sense it…"

"… Then Gray could too." Lucy finished. "No wonder you couldn't have stopped to help Gray. You were under the direct influence a Light Pact, after all."

Natsu's world stopped. Gray knew he was in danger. Gray had sent Natsu away by a pact in the form of truth and dare. Gray knew Natsu was a wizard, but Natsu didn't. And that meant…

"He is dead because of me."

Lyon looked away. Lucy gulped. "It's not your fault, Natsu."

Natsu let out a hollow chuckle, "At least say it like you mean it."

"I mean it Natsu." Lucy said, "He died not just for you, but for us as well. Someone must have blackmailed him. And the only reason he would ever give up his life was because… because of his nakama," Lucy bit her lip, strangling another sob, "I bet there was some point in time where he had come in contact with one of the groups of the Underworld and…"

"No way," Lyon muttered, "I never let him. And after the war, he had always been under my surveillance." He suddenly paused and thought, "Except yesterday." He gasped. "He went out yesterday evening. He told me he was buying a gift for Natsu. I can't believe he-…" he sniffed. "I will kill them."

"I'll come with you." Natsu declared. Lucy and Lyon looked at him skeptically. "Natsu, this isn't a game. This is war. People are gonna die."

"I don't care." Natsu felt the energy inside him thrumming with every word, "Gray was killed in front of my eyes and I couldn't do anything to save him." He stood up straight with determination, "I have the power to hurt them. I have the desire to kill them. Let me avenge him."

Lucy and Lyon looked at each other and nodded.

"Come along, then."

**TBC**

* * *

**Random Glossary**

**Types of Pacts**

_**Pacts are special-ass promises that are initiated and can only be made by a mage of Light. They are, as hopefully observed above, very difficult to overrule for the powerless, and is nullified for one side, if the other side of power break it. Breaking a Blood Pact results in death.**_

_**Normal Pact: **__a pact between a mage and a normal human_

_**Light Pact: **__a pact between two Light mages_

_**Sacred Pact: **__a pact between the mages of Light and Darkness _

_**Blood Pact: **__a pact that comes into force when a mage of Light pays with his life as a fulfillment of wishes_

* * *

**Hope it was worth the wait. :P NeuroLink will be updated shortly in a few days!**

**Stay tuned!**

**Feedback is always appreciated :)**

**Kori**


	4. Retracing His Steps

**Yup, I am alive. And so is this story ~_~**

**Kudos to Divinion to urge me to write this. ^_^**

**I think I hate these emoji lol. Anyway. Sorry for the not-as-long-as-expected chapter. But, hey. That's all the contents of this chapter. **

**Warning: Unbetaed (Even after I made 10000 corrections AFTER posting it. #wow). Angst.**

**Disclaimer: I no own bby**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Retracing his Steps**

_**July X795**_

"It's been a while, Natsu," Lucy had said to him, "I can't see you like this anymore. You need to get over it."

"Lucy," Natsu sighed, "I have tried, okay? Countless times I have tried, and I have failed."

"You haven't failed, Natsu. I know that deep down, you have forgiven Gray. In fact, you forgave him a month ago. You let it all go the moment you saw-…" Lucy bit her lip.

Natsu flinched and gazed away. His palm enclosed the pendant that dangled around his neck. He realized he tended to do that whenever he thought about Gray. After all, Gray had gifted him this sword necklace of his birthday nearly a month ago. "I know. It's just that I… I don't know how to say this to him. It's been a long time and…I don't know if he would forgive me."

"It's Gray's birthday tomorrow." Lucy said, "Just try, Natsu. Buy the cake for him. Visit the grave. Prepare yourself and just go for it." Lucy smiled slightly, when Natsu muttered, "How do you know I visit his grave, you stalker?"

"Just," Lucy gripped Natsu's shoulder, "If you can't even forgive Gray, then maybe we lost even more than just a war that day. Just try, okay? For his sake."

For Gray's sake… yeah, Natsu could do that. After all what they went through a month ago, Lucy was right. Gray deserved it.

Natsu nodded, "I will."

* * *

_**June X795**_

_Gray dodged another attack from Keyes' Khakkhara effortlessly. Keyes swung his weapon and pointed it at the raven-haired male. The hooded raven landed swiftly on his feet and glared at his opponent._

"_You can't run from me, human," Keyes muttered, summoning dark purple cloud that emanated an unnerving aura. "Not after the stunt you pulled today."_

_Gray frowned, not liking the tone of the necromancer. It was bad enough he was spotted so quickly after exiting that wretched building. He couldn't afford to get spotted by every Tartaros member just after minutes of escaping! _

"_What do you want?" Gray demanded._

"_I can sense the dead." Keyes muttered, with Gray's attacks passing clean though him without any damages. "And I can sense the living."_

_Gray looked at his opponent in confusion, "What do you mean, Keyes?"_

"_Dead and living." Keyes continued in a monotone. "Darkness and Light."_

_Gray paled, realizing what the necromancer implied. Keyes observed this in delight, "I know your secret, human." Keyes muttered eerily, dark aura surrounding the whole alley. Gray stepped back when Keyes started towards him. "I know what you are. I know what you are hiding. And so would your companions of Light, when I tell them you are not what you claim to be-" Suddenly, Keyes was frozen completely from down the neck._

_Gray glared icily at the now frantic movements of his opponent's ornate headpiece._

"_W-What is this?" Keyes exclaimed, "When did you gain this power?"_

_Gray's lips curled upwards. "Who else knows about my… ventures of Light and Darkness?"_

_The Black Archbishop visibly gulped in fear. "Silver gave you this-… this unimaginable power, didn't he? As if he hasn't betrayed us enough-"_

"_He doesn't _give_ me anything. So you're the only one who knows," Gray's smirk turned darker, much to Keyes' shock. "You did a mistake, coming to me first, Necromancer."_

_Gray turned around and walked away from the scene, as the necromancer imploded behind him with the ice._

* * *

**21 June X795**

Lucy escorted Natsu inside his house. She urged him to go and take a shower.

Lucy was worried. Natsu didn't deserve this. He wasn't a part of this. For him to suddenly become a part of their world in such a cruel manner… Lucy shook her head. She couldn't afford to think about it, to think about what happened to Gray, right now. If she did, she knew she would lose it.

Suddenly, Lucy jumped at the sharp noise beside her. She sighed in relief, realizing it was Natsu's phone ringing. Lucy reached towards it. Igneel was calling.

"_Hello? Son, are you there? Please tell me you are alright."_

"Igneel, calm down."

"_Lucy? Where's Natsu? Oh god, is he alright? And what about you, Lyon and Gray?"_

"He is fine," Lucy gulped, trying to dislodge the sudden jam in her throat. "Natsu's fine, Igneel. And… so are we. Don't worry, okay? And…" Lucy looked towards the bathroom from which Natsu just emerged in a towel. "Natsu is staying with me today."

"_Why?"_

"He was really in shock, so we decided to go to my place. He is currently in the shower. Yeah. Don't worry, I'll tell him. Of course. Yeah, we'll stay safe. Bye, Igneel. Take care."

Lucy turned around to look at Natsu's confused face, "Why did you lie to him?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lucy said, walking towards Natsu's cupboard to get him his clothes, "We are going to find the perpetrator of Gray's murder. Igneel doesn't have to worry about us. And we need to leave before he comes back home. He is on his way, by the way."

Lucy then sighed, looking at Natsu's expression, "Talk to me, Natsu." She saw him contemplate the words.

"I want to avenge him," Natsu muttered, "I want to kill the one who did this to Gray…"

"We all do."

"You don't understand. This… this sudden revelation, these powers, this secret you have all been keeping from me for god knows how long... it's too much for me. Especially now that Gray is...," When Lucy didn't defend herself, Natsu continued, "Ah, I don't know what to think, okay? All I can see is that scene constantly replaying in my mind and all I want to do is-"

"Natsu."

Natsu looked away and stared blankly at the wall. Lucy walked towards him and handed him his clothes. "We can't afford this, Natsu," Lucy whispered, "I know how you feel. I know what you are going through because I feel it too. I want to scream out loud. I want to curl up and cry. But I know I can't, not yet. Not until I am through with the people who did this to Gray.

"I know it is difficult for you. I know this knowledge, this power is overwhelming. But we have no other choice. We need to fight. So please, will you hold up? Will you be able to do this, for Gray?"

Natsu blinked a few times, until he nodded slightly.

Lucy sighed in relief, "Good."

The doorbell resounded throughout the house.

"That must be Lyon. I'll see to it. Wear your clothes."

Natsu bit his lip when Lucy shut his room's door behind her. He turned to look at his study desk. A box sat on top of it, with ripped gift wrapping paper.

"_Ah, looks like I finally woke you up. Heh."_

"_What the hell are you doing here, Ice Block? It's after midnight! Why the hell are you out so late?"_

"_Hey, my babysitter accompanied me, okay?"_

"_Happy birthday, flame-head!" Lyon shouted from his car outside the gate of the house._

_Gray smirked at him, his crystal eyes shining. "I guess that proves why I am here."_

_Natsu blinked sheepishly at Gray. "What the-…? You, Gray Fullbuster, of all the people in my life, just came over to my house at midnight to wish me happy birthday?"_

_Gray shrugged and smirked even wider. "Let's just say a wild blonde threatened my lovely little life if I didn't _contribute my heart and soul _to my best friend's eighteenth birthday." Gray made quote gestures at the word 'best.'_

_Natsu stared blankly at Gray. "You nearly broke my window."_

"_How else do you grab the attention of a fucking sleeping beauty?"_

"_By NOT throwing rocks at their window!" Gray shrugged again and Natsu sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I hope you have a something to make up for the bullshit you just spewed."_

_Natsu watched as Gray rolled his eyes. "Here." _

Natsu remembered eyeing the little box wrapped in blue skeptically. "Happy birthday, flame-brain," the card on it said. Attached with it was a picture of Natsu in a tutu.

Natsu opened the box and took out the ornate piece of jewellery. A sword-shaped pendant with a sapphire crystal in the middle gleamed in the lighting of his room. Natsu bit his lip and slung the pendant around his neck. He paused and then put the pendant underneath his shirt. The cold metal on his chest somehow provided a small amount of comfort to him.

When he opened the door, he was met with a sight of Lucy and Lyon bickering.

"… can't have him tag along! All he would do is slow us down."

"Lyon, try to understand-"

"No, Lucy. He is way too inexperienced to tag along on a deadly mission."

"You can't," Natsu muttered, "You can't leave me behind."

Lyon, who was momentarily shocked, shifted his attention to Natsu. "And how would we forgive ourselves when you get yourself killed, huh?"

"Lyon, I have to do this. You can't make me sit back and do nothing. I will find them with or without your help."

"Enlighten me then, Natsu. Pray tell how you plan to do that."

Natsu glared at Lyon, "If I can tell you have been smoking, I can certainly find Gray's killer."

Lyon let out a startled laugh, "Even Lucy can point that out."

"Yeah, but she probably can't tell you that your car's air freshener had expired a month ago, or that Juvia has a shitty perfume, or the fact that you should throw away whatever is in your pocket that you bought from Cana."

Lyon opened and closed his mouth like a gasping fish. "How the hell can you possibly know that?!"

"I can smell it all."

Lyon looked at Lucy and back at Natsu. "Who the hell are you?"

Natsu blinked, "Isn't that what you are supposed to tell me?"

"You can control fire." Lucy said, "Your aura suggests you can control it, mold it, and maybe even produce it on your own if you train hard enough. Your emotions control its intensity.

"But your sense of smell is something I don't understand. It's exclusive of what your magical aura reflects and-"

"Yeah, we don't have time for this, _Seer_," Lyon ran his hand through his hair. He then sighed and turned to Natsu, "Alright, then. If you can track him-"

"-I can do that-"

"Then go ahead. Come with us. Just…" Lyon sighed, "Stay safe."

Natsu nodded.

"Let's go, then, before your father returns home."

"Where are we going?"

Lyon turned towards Natsu, "To the last place he visited before he came here with me: Fairy Gift shop."

* * *

**Fairy Gift Shop**

_Gray stared at the sign board over the little hut, lost on thought. He bit his lip, before making up his mind. He then let out a sigh and looked around for one last time, checking if anyone had managed to spot him again. His paranoia was getting better of him today._

_This was the second to last location he had ever wanted to be spotted at: buying a gift for none other than Natsu Dragneel._

_The raven-haired man sighed again and decided to enter the shop. The bell echoed throughout the nearly-empty shop. A beautiful lady greeted him from behind the counter. _

"_Good evening, Mira," Gray smiled back. He watched a short old man stumbled out of the back room. The tiny man's face immediately brightened, spotting his late-night customer._

"_Thank you for keeping the shop opened for me, gramps."_

"_Don't mention it, brat." Makarov Dreyar grinned at Gray. "Tell me, boy. What are you looking for today?"_

_Gray thought for a while, his mind wandering to the conversation he had had with the Leader of Tartaros a while ago. He then shook his head and looked around the cozy little shop. _

* * *

"For a second, he looked like he was in anguish, thinking about something." Makarov said. "But then, that expression disappeared so quickly that I nearly thought I had imagined it."

Natsu, Lyon and Lucy sat inside the Fairy Gift Shop. The owner of the shop, Makarov Dreyar, had greeted them warmly and ushered them inside as soon as he recognized Lyon. The lady across the counter served them drinks as they four of them sat down to talk about Gray.

Natsu bit his lip and looked over towards Lyon and Lucy. The wound of losing their friend was too fresh. Natsu could see them keeping up a façade, just for the sake of the old man. But then again, Natsu wasn't any better at keeping up a pretense either. And Lucy's occasional worried glances at him proved it all the same.

Makarov continued, "I have known that brat since he was just a kid. I can see when he is trying hard to hide his inner unease. I have seen him do it since his father left him all those years ago."

Makarov sighed in disdain. "It was your birthday, wasn't it?"

Natsu looked up in surprise, "Y-Yeah."

The old man smiled slightly, "Gray was searching for a gift for you: a gift, he had said, 'that would make you reminisce him.'"

A heavy silence followed. Natsu gulped. He could feel the cold metal on his chest: the beautiful cross shaped ornament that Gray had gifted to him. The pink-haired boy bit his lip. Gray had known. There was no other way around it. When Gray had come to this shop, he had known that he was going to die.

Lyon smiled morbidly and spoke in a voice only audible to Lucy and Natsu, "The meeting happened before he came here, then."

Indeed, Gray must have known what was going to happen to him the next day. There could have been no other possible reason for him to be this way.

Natsu watched as the little old man frowned. "Is it true, then?" Makarov asked.

Lucy and Lyon looked at each other, "I-Is what true?" Lyon asked, worry lacing in his tone.

"Is he… is Gray-kun really dead?"

Makarov looked at the three faces that showcased various levels of shock. He frowned and looked down. "You don't have to hide from me, brats. He was like my own child."

"How do you know?" Lyon asked in a low voice. "I mean… where did you hear that from?"

"It was on the news," Anguish laced Makarov's voice. "And I was hoping it was just a speculation, because they don't have a body and-"

"Where's the TV?" Lyon demanded. Makarov stood up and asked them to follow him. Natsu stayed at the back, looking at the three as they fumbled around with the television.

"Oh my gods," Lucy murmured, looking at the news flashing.

"… _eighteen-year-old Gray Fullbuster has been found dead in the suspected terrorist attack at the…"_ Gray's face flashed briefly on the screen before disappearing, replaced by the other presumably missing or dead people in the blast.

"This is impossible," Lucy murmured, "There's no way the media could possibly know any of this."

"Every living soul should know that Gray Fullbuster is dead." Natsu remembered. Then he realized that he had said it out loud when suddenly, Lyon and Lucy looked at him in shock.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Makarov," Lucy forced out a smile and hurriedly escorted Natsu and Lyon outside. Natsu looked at Makarov who looked confused at their sudden departure. His gaze then landed on Mirajane. She was looking at him skeptically. The moment they made eye contact, she looked away. Distancing them from the little shop, Lucy spoke up.

"What do you mean?" she whispered, "Where did you hear that, Natsu?"

"That was what Silver had said," Natsu gulped, "Right… r-right before he-"

Natsu jumped slightly as Lyon punched a wall, successfully cracking it. "Those… those _monsters! _They killed my brother and now they are broadcasting his face across the world-"

"-We don't know it was them, Lyon-" Lucy stopped as soon as Lyon punched the wall again, aggravating the crack even further.

"You're right." A voice spoke from the alley, "It wasn't us."

Natsu stumbled to the back as Lucy and Lyon suddenly appeared in front of him, facing the sudden newcomer. A figure appeared from the end of the alley. The man had blonde hair and blank markings across his face. His eyes looked grave, as they stared at the three of them. Suddenly, Natsu recognized the figure standing in front of them. A cold voice echoed in his mind.

"_Stop playing around and kill him already, Silver."_

"_Look at the camera, Dragonling. The world wants to see you."_

"_Your eyes indeed look pretty when you're ridden with holes."_

"You…" Natsu whispered. All of a sudden, a bright, scalding aura surrounded him. An unimaginable amount of anger gripped him that only seemed to fuel his fiery aura.

"You are the one who was recording it." Natsu felt sick even as he said it out loud. Hearing this, a golden aura suddenly enveloped Lucy and a glowing sword made of ice materialized in Lyon's hand.

"Who are you?" Natsu demanded with a tight voice.

The man looked at him and smirked coldly, "I am Jackal. It's nice to finally meet you, Natsu Dragneel."

**TBC**

* * *

**Well. I am a lazy, lazy person. It really requires me an outside motivation to actually produce something in writing, or anything in general in my life. So, do review guys! Because I know that without any outside motivation, this story, along with the others, will remain in my little folder, unfinished or even unwritten.**

**Also, those who follow NeuroLink: I have a writer's block. ~_~**

**Feedback is forever appreciated!**

**Kori**


	5. Unleashing Powers

**SURPRISE, SURPRISE!**

**Don't be hopeful. I wrote this out for the sole reason that it was a short chapter. So, yeah. Back to hiatus till December end, until muse strikes again. On the plus point, my official exams start from Monday. Did I say plus? Maybe it was the double negative speaking. *ba dum tsss***

**ANYWAY. Enjoy.**

**Warning: Angst. Gore. Flashback to _the scene. _Un-beta-ed.**

**Disclaimer: I no own.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Unleashing Powers**

"_I am Jackal."_

Natsu's ears rang. The malevolent man in front of him aroused nothing but a scalding feeling in him. This feeling… it was inexplicable. It consumed his heart. It clawed at his mind. This rage burned down his very soul.

"Natsu," Natsu heard a voice echo faintly, "Calm down." He looked at Lucy, slightly jarred, realizing she hadn't even moved a muscle. Then he realized the voice was in his head. But when he looked closer, he could notice her tense muscles.

Hearing her worried tone, Natsu concentrated on himself. He felt his core cultivating power. He felt the enraging heat surrounding him. He was unconsciously radiating his magic.

"Don't react to his taunts." Lucy voiced out her worry, "He would try to rile you up and you aren't experienced enough to fight."

"She's right." Natsu heard Lyon's voice join in. "His power attributes to fire. We would be the best opponents against him for now. Just stand back and let us handle this."

"Natsu Dragneel," Jackal said, his hollow eyes fixed on the pink-haired man, "The newest recruitment to the Light." At the direct address, Lucy and Lyon covered him up even further, trying to distance him away from the stranger as much as possible.

"Stay away from him, Jackal," Lucy threatened, "We are your enemies today."

Lyon tensed further into an attacking stance, pointing his ice weapon at their opponent. "We won't let you harm one of us again."

Natsu watched as his two friends launched themselves at the cloaked man. Lyon jumped upwards, angling his sword towards the blond-haired man. Jackal smirked and sidestepped the slice easily. Lyon kept attacking him, distracting him from Lucy who had fallen back.

"Star Dress: Aquarius," Lucy muttered. She suddenly glowed gold, the blinding light covering her entire body. The bright light faded away, leaving Lucy clad in a wave patterned bikini top and a dark blue skirt paired with it. Natsu watched as huge, menacing waves surrounded her body. The moment Jackal parried another one of Lyon's attacks and kicked him away swiftly, he was overwhelmed by the large body of water.

"Enough," Jackal muttered. Natsu watched as a hand, with talons, appeared out of Jackal's cloak, clutching at something. Jackal stood up, discarding his soaking cloak and threw the objects at Lucy and Lyon. Both the mages backed away from the little black beads spilled on the ground. Then, to Natsu's horror, those little beads sparked and exploded.

"Lucy!" Natsu screamed in alarm, "Lyon!"

When the smoke cleared, Natsu saw a faint silhouette of a muscular man with spiked hair. Two bodies lay on either side of him, groaning slightly. Natsu quickly glanced at his fallen comrades. They looked at the brink of consciousness, bruised by the collisions due to the force of the explosion.

His comrades were down. He had to do something.

Jackal smirked at the display. Ignoring the fallen mages, he fixated onto Natsu. His eyes remained hollow when he said, "They said you added a new member to your little family. How could I not have the pleasure to meet him?"

Natsu felt his rage flare again. Jackal's voice resonated with the darkest corners of his mind. Before Lucy and Lyon could stop him, he had already launched himself at his opponent. He concentrated his brewing power into his fist, increasing its momentum as he attacked Jackal. But the moment Natsu's glowing fist smashed against Jackal's face; he felt a tingling sensation on his knuckles.

In front of him, Jackal stumbled back with the force but looked vaguely unaffected by it. The blond-haired man smirked in contempt. "You call that a punch, newbie?"

Jackal's smirking face turned into a scowl and he uttered in a low voice, "Boom."

Suddenly, the tingling sensation on Natsu's hand turned into a hot, burning uproar. And before he could blink, his arm was covered in exploding flames.

Jackal laughed, looking at the pink-haired boy covered in flames. He couldn't control his amusement, especially after seeing the horrified faces of his friends.

Gray's friends.

An unsolicited shudder went down his spine. No, he was a member of Tartaros. And that sorry excuse of a Dragonling had to die. There was no other way around it. Gray deserved it. And Jackal's wretched reaction to the scene was nothing but disguised excitement. He told it to himself, he tried to convince himself.

Gray had deserved to die. And he had enjoyed every minute of it.

"You all really are pathetic." He said with a palpable mock in his voice, "Whatever I touch explodes on the spot. You let your weaklings run free, despite your knowledge of my powers. No wonder your precious Nakama are dropping dead like flies, just because of your–"

Jackal frowned, his gaze fixed at the peculiar haired boy. The flames covering him seemed to decrease in intensity. Suddenly, to his utter shock, the flames disappeared completely, leaving an unscathed arm and a flabbergasted boy.

Natsu stared at his arm in shock. He remembered feeling the intense heat. He remembered that moment of utter panic, the shock of realization. And he remembered feeling the heat ebb away. The flames had disappeared, leaving him with a half-burnt shirt dangling uselessly from his other shoulder, but his skin (and thankfully his fabulous hair) remaining unmarred. He looked over his hand in scrutiny, the hand that had just absorbed the flames.

"H-How did you do that?" Natsu looked up to see his opponent fumble. Jackal pointed at him, his gaze filled with shock and raw anger, "How did you counter my magic so easily?!" Natsu remained still in shock at discovering a magic he never knew he possessed and a mild awe at what he was unknowingly capable of.

Had he always been resistant to fire? He remembered accidentally spilling hot butter on his arm, feeling the burn, a burn that never lasted. He remembered goofing around with firecrackers, until blowing a bomb right near his leg. Even Igneel was shocked how he could escape from that unscathed.

But now, he didn't even feel the residual burn anymore. The heat seemed to be a part of him, a product of him. He had truly been a mage all this time. And he had finally unlocked his powers. But the awe didn't last long.

"You… you will all die," Jackal declared, "One by one, you all would be eradicated, just like your Dragonling leader –"

Jackal's rant was cut short with a flaming fist colliding with his gut. His gaze fixed onto the blazing olive eyes. He was thrown back, colliding with the wall hard enough to leave a dent.

"You…" Natsu growled, "You dare mock Gray after making him suffer that way?" Flames surrounded him for the first time in his life, flaring around him like a sphere, snapping angrily at his surroundings.

"I will," Jackal, stood up shakily, glaring full force at the fire mage, "I will because it was fun to watch him suffer. I will because his screams were music to my ears."

Natsu screamed in rage. The flames around him exploded out, engulfing the alleyway completely.

"_Look at the camera, Dragonling. The world wants to see you."_

His flames blazed higher with his emotions. Reluctantly, Natsu's mind succumbed into the memoirs of the day.

* * *

"_Every living soul should know that Gray Fullbuster is dead." Gray heard the low, taunting voice from behind him. He sensed Lyon stirring on the road on his right. He watched Natsu run towards Lucy, away from the danger, away from him._

_Gray's gut felt heavy with dread. His palms remained fisted by his side. A traitorous tear slipped out of his eye. But he could never let his fear show._

"_You promised," he said, surprising himself with his unwavering voice, "You promised you would not hurt my friends. How would I know you would keep your side of the arrangement?"_

"_Oh, don't you worry, son," Silver Fullbuster smirked. Gray turned to look at the devil behind him, "This explosion was just a warning attack so that you don't back away." Silver walked down the pile of rubble of a nearby building._

"_I won't," Gray said, looking at his father standing in front of him. "I will keep my part of the promise, and you better keep yours." Gray closed his eyes, letting the welled-up tears escape. He felt Lyon's confused gaze on him. He felt Lucy's eyes blinking open. He opened his eyes and looked at Silver right in the eye._

"_I surrender."_

Silver Fullbuster towered over his estranged son, his face devoid of emotion. Gray stared up defiantly, his gaze unwavering. Silver smirked. He drawled out in his low voice, "You are way too confident for a mage without powers."

"You can't let them hurt my comrades." Gray continued, "The pact between us clearly states –" Gray voice was cut off by a choke. He coughed, pushing away his father with one arm, clutching at his abdomen with the other. The ice shard in his father's hand glinted wickedly in the sun, covered in Gray's blood.

Was it your mother?" Silver taunted, "Was she responsible for you being so foolishly confident at the face of death? Heh, don't tell me it was I who made you this way."

"D-Dad?" Gray whispered in a shaky voice. "W-What –"

"You surrendered, my boy," Gray's ears rang at his father's voice, "You are now agreeably ours to toy around with."

"Look at the camera, Dragonling." Gray's eyes widened at the familiar voice. Jackal stood far away, having a camcorder pointed at him. "The world wants to see you." Jackal beamed.

"You cowards…" Gray muttered in raw loathe.

"Call us whatever you want," Jackal spat, "But at the end of the day, you lost, Dragonling."

Gray's mind whirled. The realization sunk into him like a heavy rock. They… they were going to kill him. They exploited his weak point only to kill him in cold blood. What had he gotten himself into? He should never have agreed to this. And moreover… the man trying to _toy around _with him was none other than his father.

His father… _his father!_

"Why are you doing this?" he voiced out, shaking with emotions.

"You dared to oppose the Darkness, son. It's just your turn to get succumbed into that very darkness."

He heard Lyon call his name in horror at a distance. It won't be long before he would be here, not long before he might be in danger because of him. These hounds would hurt Lyon too, just like they would hurt Gray.

Gray had surrendered to protect the Light, not at the cost of his nakama.

Before he could change his mind, he ran.

He ran away before Lucy could see him, before Lyon could cross the block, before Natsu could realize…

Suddenly, Gray screamed. He stumbled and fell to the ground. He gasped and panted heavily, looking towards his leg. An ice arrow was lodged in his thigh. Gray reached out and grabbed the arrow by its hilt. Biting his lip hard, he pulled it out. Blood gushed out as soon as the weapon was removed. Gray blinked back the tears of pain. His head felt light due to the blood he was losing.

"Where do you think you are going?" Silver's narrowed eyes rested on his widened ones. "Away from your precious friends? At least let them appreciate your final moments."

Silver looked at the right, where Lyon struggled to stand. He scoffed in amusement at Lyon's apparent struggle. "Your surrogate brother would be here in a matter of minutes. You don't want him involved, do you? And look! Your other friend is waking up too."

Gray looked towards Lucy in horror. She indeed was stirring, looking right towards him. No… No! They can't see this. They can't know of this! To his dismay, he realized his scream might have alerted Natsu. But he wasn't looking. His back was turned. He mustn't have known, Gray told to himself, he mustn't have heard. The pact was working.

Gray was alerted with the crunching sounds of the boots. Silver made his way towards Gray, another ice weapon materializing in his hand. The younger raven scrambled away futilely. He had no way of escaping. He was going to make his friends suffer without wanting to. And before he could distance himself from his father, an mini explosion resounded behind him, enough to make him fly forward.

He looked up, only to see Jackal, having his camcorder trained on his face. The blond-haired male smirked down at him, his eyes glinting gold.

"Your eyes indeed look pretty when you're riddled with holes."

* * *

Natsu blinked back tears.

"After all that Gray sacrificed because of the likes of you… after everything he did in hopes of protecting his comrades… You dare to declare it all worthless?"

"I will end you," the pink-haired male growled out.

The brutality Gray went through… No. He couldn't mourn Gray yet. He had to avenge Gray. He had to make them pay for this. He had to make Jackal pay for this.

The brutality Gray went through… Jackal seemed to recall the exact scene Natsu had playing in his head, only further: after it became too atrocious, too vicious for even _him_ to stomach.

To let this affect his mind so easily… he really was pathetic.

No… He couldn't think that way. He couldn't afford this. If he ever voiced it out, he would be disbarred from his guild. After all his efforts to prove himself, to reach a rank high enough to showcase his powers; he couldn't afford to show weakness. He couldn't afford to let this to reign his mind.

He had sanctioned it.

"You liked seeing it, didn't you?" Natsu growled.

Yes, he did.

"You enjoyed every minute of it."

"No, I didn't."

Jackal froze, shocked at his unwarranted confession. He gasped and grabbed at the nearest object he could find and hurled it at Natsu. Moments before it could touch the pink-haired male, it exploded in flames.

Hoping for his momentary distraction to work, Jackal made a run for it.

Natsu was stunned. His mind reeled as his body absorbed the flames. A member of Tartaros, moreover the one actually present at the scene, found the ruthless cold-blooded murder of his comrade revolting. How was he supposed to react to that?

Wasn't Jackal a mage of Darkness? Wasn't he inherently evil? Then why did he relay a morality Natsu supposed was only limited to the mages of Light?

Had he misunderstood the Darkness? Was there even the tiniest part of them that matched with the Light? And more importantly, did such mages exist in the Light that merited the Dark? Natsu shook his head.

His gaze then transfixed onto the scene in front of him. Jackal had fallen to the ground. The ground was frozen solid and slippery. Lyon was standing, radiating the cold. Lucy summoned her waves again, enclosing the blond-haired man in a sphere of water.

"Don't get faltered by his words, Natsu." Lyon spat in mirth, "A mage of Darkness can never be a messenger of Light."

Natsu looked at him in shock. For a second, Lyon's words faltered his thoughts, the questions that ran through his mind. But he had seen the look on his face when Jackal had confessed. And he couldn't believe that was unreal.

"He's contacting the headquarters!" Lucy alerted them.

Lyon gazed at Natsu's wavering expressions for a second more before turning towards Jackal. Natsu watched as the ice mage summoned his powers. He froze through Lucy's water lock expertly. Jackal's eyes widened as the ice pierced him right through his heart.

The ball of water dissipated and Jackal fell to the ground. Natsu rushed towards the fallen Dark mage. "Y-You…" Jackal uttered. Then he let out a tired laugh. His expression molded from puzzlement to realization and he declared: "It's all an illusion."

"Get down!" Natsu warned, pushing his two comrades away. Understanding, Lyon quickly formed an ice shield, as he had done before, to shield Lucy and himself from the onslaught. As he had suspected, Jackal detonated himself. The explosion contained a potential to wipe away half the city, but, thanks to Natsu, the flames were slowly but surely absorbed by him.

As he absorbed the last of the flames, he looked at the spot where Jackal once laid. The floor around him was scorched. The walls of the alley were covered in soot, clearly distorted in shape. And, Natsu had to admit, not all of it had been Jackal's fault.

He had no control over his Flames of Emotion.

Moreover, instead of satisfaction, all Natsu felt was certain hollowness. Jackal was dead. One of the many conspirators was gone. And yet, the fissure in his heart only seemed to increase. But he couldn't give up. He had to fight.

For Gray.

And so, Natsu swallowed down his pain, turned around and walked towards his comrades.

**TBC**

* * *

**okokok ya ik I am brutal to Gray bby sometimes but tbh**

**It hasn't even begun. :-)**

_**#KoriNoKoibitoisCreepyAF #AngstisLove #AngstisLife**_

**As always, feedback is appreciated :)**

**Kori**


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